Gary Knight

Google the word photojournalist and you will be met with a short list of the genre’s most influential people. Over the 20th and 21st centuries, Capa, Nachtwey, McCullin, Carter, and a handful of others have become as near to household names as photographers get, but of all those inscribed on photojournalism’s A-list, it is very difficult to point to a name more influential than Gary Knight. While maybe not possessing the same grandeur in the public’s eye as a Cartier-Bresson or a Steve McCurry, Knight has arguably done more for photojournalism than any other individual.

Covering several of the modern world’s most important humanitarian issues, Knight’s personal learning curve within photojournalism led him to found the VII agency – now an ecosystem of institutions at the forefront of advocacy for photojournalism and independent storytelling. Furthermore, his prevalence within the World Press Photo (WPP) organisation, but also his ongoing commitment to pushing the limits of photographic understanding, have both served as testament to his true belief in the ability of images as catalysts for change. And in 2019, with the announcement of even more philanthropic endeavours under the VII banner, Knight has surely cemented his place at photojournalism’s round table.